FRESH evidence of the UK's long hours culture emerged today with new research showing four out of five bosses worked over 60 hours a week.

A survey of 1,800 employers revealed that seven out of 10 were only managing four hours sleep a night because of work, and most admitted they found it impossible to switch off and relax in the evenings and at weekends.

Law firm Peninsula said its study showed most managers admitted that long working hours were affecting personal relationships.

Peter Done, managing director of Peninsula, said: "Employers today are under a great deal of stress and find it impossible to divert their minds from workplace issues and worries regardless of what time it is.

"As a managing director myself I know how it feels to be constantly pushed for time every day. There is a lot of talk about how employees are stressed in the workplace but the pressures employers are under are immense, with responsibility and expectation coming from both inside and outside the company.

"Employers seem to be working longer and longer hours with the majority now working in excess of 60 hours in a week."